Running to Stand Still
by AngelNo13Bardiel
Summary: What to do when you're looking for advice about a girl? Well, if you're Shinji Ikari, you ask the stoic and asocial First Child, of course. -Story completed/C&C appreciated/Please leave a review if you liked-


**DISCLAIMER:** I still don't own Evangelion or any of its characters, that's all still the property of…whoever owns it these days. Probably never will either, but I'm okay with that (too much legal hassle to potentially deal with). Original series timeline applies here, nothing Rebuild-centric. I'd place this one somewhere around episodes 12, 13 or 14 (same as _**You Don't Know How It Feels**_ : don't know where exactly, just wherever there can be a quiet moment for the following story…and no, this _isn't_ a part of that canon/continuity, just another one-off). 'This' denotes thoughts, while "this" is speech. I think that's all I need this time, let's get right into it!

 _ **-Running to Stand Still-**_

Stepping through the front gates of her school, Rei Ayanami turned in the direction of her apartment complex. There were no tests at NERV today, so that left her with nothing but a quiet afternoon at her home for the remainder of the day. She would do little but wait for the time to pass, but it would give her plenty of time to think.

Only a mile or so into her trip, Rei caught sight of a familiar boy sitting on a bench along the sidewalk, looking down at the street. "Pilot Ikari," she spoke softly as she approached him. "I was not aware that Major Katsuragi's apartment was in this direction."

Shinji Ikari looked up suddenly, not realizing that Rei had approached him as closely as she did. "O-oh, hey Ayanami," he said with a start, apparently having been oblivious to anyone around him. "It isn't," he continued, confirming her statement. "I was just sitting here and thinking."

"I see," Rei stated, now standing still next to the bench. "What are you thinking about?"

Shinji shuffled nervously for a second, returning his gaze to the concrete. "It…it's complicated, Ayanami."

"Perhaps I may know, I have studied many subjects quite extensively," Rei said, her tone never changing for a second.

"It's not about schoolwork," Shinji corrected her. "It's…" He stopped again, unsure if he should try to approach the topic with her. 'You could pick a lot worse people,' he told himself. 'She'll at least be honest.' He stood from the bench, grabbing his schoolbag before facing Rei again. "Well, maybe I _could_ use someone to talk to. I…I mean, if that's okay with you, of course." He shifted his weight from one leg to the other in a nervous manner. "C-can I walk you home w-while we talk?"

"I do not see why not," Rei said, resuming her slow walk from before. Shinji noticed this and quickly picked up his pace to get beside her, albeit with about a foot between them. "What did you wish to talk about?" the First Child questioned. "Is it related to NERV business?"

"N-no, not…exactly," Shinji answered. "I-I mean, kind of. In a way. I…" He stopped bumbling over his words for a moment, trying to collect his musing into something coherent. "Sorry…"

"There is nothing to apologize for that I am aware of," Rei said in a matter-of-fact way, looking down at the road ahead.

"I know, I just…" Shinji started, falling silent after that.

"What does it concern if not school or NERV?" Rei asked, not understanding what her fellow pilot was trying to say.

"It's…it's about…g-girls," Shinji finally said, his voice just barely audible to the azure-haired girl.

Rei stopped for a moment to look at him, which caused Shinji to stop suddenly when he noticed she was no longer walking. "I do not think that there is anything I can tell you that textbooks will not," she answered, reasoning that this was what he had meant. "I believe that the school library has many on the subject, so…"

"Th-that's not…n-not what I m-meant _at all_!" Shinji blurted out, waving his hands and shaking his head while looking around at the empty street. Seeing Rei crane her head in a confused manner, he sighed and went on. "I meant…I need advice _about_ girls."

That sentence only further confused Rei. "I…do not understand," she admitted. "Would a subject such as this not be better discussed with Pilot Sohryu? She knows more about how to interact with the opposite sex than I do."

Shinji started to sweat a little at the mention of Asuka's name. "I c-can't really…talk to A-Asuka about this…" he said while rubbing the back of his head. "It's kind of…about her, really."

"Oh," Rei replied, but did not _truly_ understand what he had meant. She started walking again, her pace slightly slower than previously. "Would it not be better to ask Suzuhara or Aida? They are both quite close to you."

Shinji had to laugh at the thought of asking those two _anything_ concerning Asuka…or even girls in general. "They'd never let me live it down," he explained. "I already thought about that. That's a no-go."

"What of miss Horaki?" Rei queried. "She and Sohryu appear to be on good terms."

"I had considered that," Shinji answered. "But I've also seen how those two gossip and, while I'm sure the class rep is someone to trust, I think she's a little _too_ close to Asuka when it comes to this one." He looked up at the sky and breathed out slowly. "She might not even mean to, Asuka can get information out of people when she wants it."

Rei nodded, knowing full well how Asuka could be at times. "And what of the major? You live with her, the same as Sohryu. Would she not be the most direct course?"

"She would be…and if you think Toji and Kensuke wouldn't let me live it down," Shinji continued, "she'd _absolutely_ never let it go. That would be open season on Shinji-teasing for her. She can be full of good advice, but…well, she can be such a _child_ about things sometimes."

"I see," Rei concluded. "You chose me because you feel I would be the most impartial opinion, correct?"

"I think so," Shinji admitted. "Maybe I just need to discuss it with someone who won't judge me." He shook his head again. "That sounds really sad now that I say it out loud…"

Rei chose not to comment on that sentence, only letting the silence last for a few seconds. "Continue on, then."

"R-right…" Shinji began, clearing his throat. "So…lately, it's been… _odd_ between me and Asuka, I guess." He sighed, looking down at the sidewalk. "Whenever I talk to her, the words come out all weird. And I just _cannot_ read her moods some days. She can be so nice one minute and just as cold or mad the next. And I don't think they can _all_ be my fault." He tightened his grip on the handle of his schoolbag. "I like it when she's nice, but…it's just so… _random_ what I'll get sometimes."

"Sohryu can be quite demanding towards you, I have noticed," Rei cut in. "It is not…how someone should treat a person they trust their life to."

"I don't really think there's much you or I can do about that, Ayanami," Shinji spoke up again. "Asuka's like a force of nature: you can control her about as much as you can stop her." He gave a short laugh. "And I wouldn't try _either_ , to be honest."

"Indeed," Rei agreed. "But why do you wish to change her moods when you seem to have been content with them until now?"

Shinji fell silent at her words, considering his own very carefully. "W-well, y-you see, I…" He paused, breathing in and out several times before going on. "I…I-I l-like her. A lot."

"That would seem to be the case," Rei stated, oblivious to what he had meant. "I have never known you to truly dislike another, with perhaps the exception of the Commander…"

"Again, that's not what I meant," Shinji interrupted, not wanting to bring his father into this conversation. "I mean _like_ …in like, a boy-likes-a-girl kind of way."

"Romantically, you mean," Rei corrected him. She turned her head slightly to see him nod slowly. "I see…"

"I feel like the baka she calls me sometimes," Shinji said, his voice a little sad. "She's so mean to me so often…and here I am, falling for her anyway." He suppressed a laugh through his teeth. "Of _course_ I would, it's me I'm talking about."

"You should not be so hard on yourself," Rei spoke up. "I have heard how she has talked to you before, and much of it is untrue. At least, to what I have experienced."

Shinji blushed slightly at the sort-of compliment. "T-thank you, Ayanami." He swallowed hard before speaking again. "So yeah…that's the whole of it."

The two teens walked in silence as Rei considered what she could possibly tell him. "I will admit that I am not well-versed in courtship rituals or interaction," she began to say, "but I have read at least a little on the subjects and will give what advice I can."

"That's more than I hoped for," Shinji replied.

Rei nodded before continuing. "I recall that, in building a rapport with another person, it would be advised to try conversing with her in a friendly manner."

"I've been _trying_ to do that lately," Shinji reminded her. "It hasn't been…going well. To say the least."

"But _is_ becoming easier to do, is it not?" Rei asked, to which Shinji nodded slowly. "Then it would seem to be working, at least in very small increments. Some things cannot be done I haste."

"Yeah, no kidding," Shinji told her. "It's taken a lot of work just to not talk in broken sentences around her."

Rei nodded, speaking again. "And if that continues to be successful, I believe one of the things that would be approached after would be the idea of a 'date'. Would that be feasible?"

Shinji nearly choked on his own breath. "I…don't think that would go over well with Asuka," he explained. "Even if we were on better speaking terms. Asking her out completely at random is just _asking_ for trouble."

"You would not have to call it a date," Rei reasoned. "Sohryu does not seem the type of person to turn down an invitation to a social event of any kind."

"That's true, she _does_ like to spend time downtown whenever she can," Shinji agreed. "You really think that would work?"

"It would not hurt to try, I believe," Rei answered, shaking her head after the words left her. "I am sorry, I do not think I have given you any knowledge that you would not have considered yourself."

Shinji looked up and over at her, also shaking his head. "N-no," he reassured her, "you've been a great help." He stopped for a moment as her apartment building came into view. "Maybe all I needed was someone to talk this out with aloud. Just going through it all in my head wasn't getting me anywhere."

Rei studied his face for a few moments before giving just the ghost of a smile, much like she had done after the fifth Angel. "Then I have been more helpful than I thought." The two nodded to each other before continuing to walk the remaining distance to the building.

"Well…here we are," Shinji spoke up as they reached her front door. "Listen…Ayanami…thanks again."

"It is quite alright," Rei told him as she opened the door. "You asked for help, and I gave what help I could. Is that not what you wanted?"

Shinji laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I guess it is." He coughed a little before speaking up again. "But thanks all the same. I'll keep trying to reach out to Asuka, see what comes of that. Hopefully, she won't smack me for it." He nodded before turning and walking away, turning around to give the girl one last wave goodbye for the day. "See you tomorrow, Ayanami."

"Tomorrow, then," Rei said back. "Be safe on your way home, Ikari." She walked into her apartment and closed the door before thinking about what had happened on the way here. 'It feels…good to help someone,' she thought to herself. Moving over to the window, the First Child watched as Shinji traveled back in the direction of Misato's apartment building.

As good as it felt to help, Rei was bothered by something that had started during the trip here that she could not explain. Watching as Shinji was no longer within sight, she could feel just a slight tightness in her chest. "He is my friend, I assisted him in a tie of need," she thought aloud. The blue-haired girl shook her head and stepped away from the window, moving toward the kitchen to start preparing her evening meal…but a particular thought would not leave her. 'If it was the right thing to do…then why do I feel like this?'

 _ **-End-**_

 **Author's Notes:** Well, that was…different for me. Both in that it was A/S-centric without _actually_ featuring Asuka (a roundabout way of approaching the subject, I suppose) and in that it was as close to R/S as I've _ever_ gotten in one of these things (I think you can see it if you squint _really_ hard…or maybe not).

The reasoning for the latter? You see, a long time ago (we're talking about a year-and-a-half before _**Nephilim**_ , for reference), back when your friendly neighborhood Bardi began reading Evafiction, I didn't have a preferred couple to ship (I didn't even _know_ that term, to be honest…among others, such as 'lemon'). So I read _**a lot**_ of both (among a few other scattered pairings), and to this day, I feel like I could just as easily have shipped Rei and Shinji as much as I now do with Asuka and Shinji.

See, ReiShin fans? We're not so different after all, you and I. It's all in the cards you're dealt/how the cards fall.

Just like _**You Don't Know How It Feels**_ , this one wasn't _initially_ my idea: it was Ash's. I included the minor R/S hinting there at the end and…actually, that was the _only_ thing I added after-the-fact. The conversation itself is a little bit of both our works. It's not based on a real-world talk (unlike previously), but we think it turned out well. Just another short-'n'-sweet snippet for you guys.

On the subject of the title: it's both a _really_ good **U2** song (from _The Joshua Tree_ ) and it might just be one of the better phrases to sum up Shinji's character (could also apply to a few other Evangelion characters, too). I don't think anyone will really disagree with that point.

Now, what will be next for me? I think I've got something a little lengthier that could be finished in whole before the end of Q1 2017/beginning of Q2 2017 (end of March, let's say). Stay tuned, it ought to be good (I hope).

As per usual (and as stated above), pre-read and then some was done by Ash. Thanks again, ma'am. Maybe you should start writing some of these ideas of yours, y'know? Now get ready, the next one's gonna be a _bit_ longer than a one-shot…

As usual: good comments will be appreciated, bad ones will be ignored (or kept for firewood). But I do favor good/helpful criticism, so send it my way! And review! Even if it's not positive, review!

Until our paths next cross,  
 **-AngelNo13Bardiel-**


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